Week 4
You guys have no idea how busy I have been and have not
been able to write every day. So that’s why this blog is much delayed. I’m just
going to tell you what I’ve learned and the highlights of this week. Also I
will not be able to blog while I am on the youth trip as much as I have been
recently. It’s crazy to think that I have been here for a month already, and
that I have only two weeks left. The time has flown by. It feels like just
yesterday I was on the plane landing in Panama. I was scared yet excited.
Fast-forwards to a month later, and my time here is almost over. It’s crazy to
think that God will place you somewhere at specific times of your life. This
trip has really shaped me in ways that if I had stayed home that I would have
never changed. Panama has been such a blessing for me. I have been enjoying my
time being here and I have enjoyed teaching. I also have enjoyed the trials and
the hardships that come with being pushed out into the waters. As James 1:2
says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trails
of many kinds.” Meeting trials with joy is not easy, but when you approach it
with the joy of the Lord then it becomes easier to face.
James 1:2,"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds."
So as I started teaching in the schools, I had to learn
how to communicate with people that didn’t speak English. I also had to find
ways to teach English to all ages of students. Both schools have been a joy to
work in and I have loved every single moment of it. I would never trade it in
for anything. This is an experience I will never forget and will always
cherish. With all that being said,
let’s
begin.
Here
I am getting up at 5:45 every day so that I can get ready for school. Something
that I thought I wasn’t going to do until August. As I arrive to the first
school my stomach starts turning, and my heart starts beating really fast. I
have never taught a classroom besides Sunday school. So I was nervous. The
first school is just elementary aged children so it wasn’t that hard to really
adjust too. I really like kids so it was easy. I just had to keep them moving
and keep their attention. They listened and they learned simple greetings. Easy
English. After the first school, I went to the second school called IBI de
Panama. This school has all ages ranging from High school to kindergarten. In
the first week I had mostly been working with the Elementary kids at IBI. If
you have ever worked with kids that age, I applaud you for all your patience. If
you know an Elementary teacher, please give them encouragement; they deal with
a lot. Just encourage all of the teachers you know; they have to do so much
just to make a class run smoothly. I have a new
found respect for teachers now.
As the first week went on, I got more comfortable with
standing up in front of a class and teaching. The first day, I was nervous to
get up and talk, but I had to put on my big girl panties and face my fears.
Now, I’m teaching and I have no nerves at all. Some teachers trust me to the
point where they will just let me teach the whole lesson, and not say a single
word. I have learned a lot about how different people and classes as a whole
are. For example, I got to one class that is quite and ready to learn, but then
the next class is bouncing off the walls. Every time that I walk into a class
like that, I let them know that if they talk during the lesson, I will not put
up with it and I will call you out in the middle of class. They usually
understand, but sometimes they don’t. So I’ve had to get on to a couple of
kids. Other than that, it really has been great. I have been enjoying every
single moment of it and I never want to forget this trip.
As you continue praying
for me, please pray for the students I teach. I’m also there to minister to any
kid that is open to hear. I never force it on them, I wait for them to come to
me. So please pray for opportunity. Thank you and God Bless.
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